Exclusive Interview to Laura Stephens on The Lost Titans

Recently we had the chance to interview the production associate at ZQGame about The Lost Titans, an upcoming full 3D browser MMORPG (we published an exclusive preview some time ago). Let's see what she said to us!

First of all, thank you for giving us the possibility to interview you about The Lost Titans. Would you be so kind to introduce yourself to our readers?

I’m Laura Stephens, a production associate at ZQGame. My main responsibilities include making sure our Lost Titans America version is up to the quality it needs to be in this market. I’m a quality checker across the board, from the way the game plays, to the way it’s localized, and I’m part of the team that decides on any features that may need to be modified or added in order to best suit the English-speaking market.

How would you describe The Lost Titans to someone who has never heard of it before?

The Lost Titans is a game that takes ancient mythology to the next level, both in terms of story and visuals. It’s a bleeding edge approach to browser-based gaming, immersing the players in a 3D world filled with action and adventure, with client-game level graphics, all playable within Chrome or Firefox, or whatever browser one may prefer to use.

Within the world of The Lost Titans, the player serves as a Warrior of Light, traveling fantastical lands in order to gather pieces of a lost Titan’s soul, to save Hyperion and the realm from the invading forces of Hyperion’s longtime rival and opposing Titan, Ophion.

By what we’ve gotten to know so far, the game is a Fantasy MMORPG. Could you tell us, what it sets apart from the rest of that genre?

The Lost Titans is actually not a fantasy MMORPG. Although the beautiful graphics in the game are colorful and there are fantastical and mythological themes within the game, The Lost Titans is actually a fast-paced Action MMORPG, or ARPG.

The game is set apart in the action genre, however, due to its narrative story and unique features, which include a mount system, a pet system (that is fully customizable and features pets that level up and fight alongside you with unique skills), and various mini-games within the game, itself.

There are also three factions to choose from, all of which represent different ideological creeds, and are a determining factor regarding who a player can befriend and join forces with, whether in guild battles, faction battles, team battles, zone battles, arena battles, one-on-one battles, boss battles, PvP battlegrounds, and even world events. Factions are a key element of the game, and help to drive massive-scale PvP battles all across the board. The entire game is action-packed from the very beginning, and there are constantly events going on, and special quests and achievements featured throughout the day in which a player can participate.

How big will the in-game world of The Lost Titans be?

The world is massive! It’s huge! There are all kinds of different lands with different mythological themes, and there are instances all over the place. We have more instances than even the World of Warcraft, no joke!

And, the best part about being a browser-based game is that ZQGame will be constantly updating the game, bringing new updates and features into the game, so even within the huge world, there will almost always be something new and exciting for a player to do.

What about the combat system? How will it look like?

We at ZQGame want to encourage opportunism. The game is going to be filled with all-out grand-scale battles, among members of every faction. The game is geared for hardcore gamers, though the game also caters to casual gamers, with various “safe zones” throughout the maps of every zone, for players who prefer to steer clear of the brawls, and explore the world on their own.

One element that makes the combat system of The Lost Titans unique is the pet system. The game currently features 15 fantastical pets that are fully customizable and fight alongside you, leveling up and learning unique skills along the way. They’re gorgeous designs, and are all creative fusions of various animals, examples of which are Tallblades (ostriches with praying mantis claws), Ragestingers (scorpions with turtle shells), and Razorbeaks (lions with a hawk heads and wings), just to name a few.

Players will battle in the world using a customizable hotkey system from a skill bar that has both skills and whatever else you wish to fill the slots with (items, mounts, etc) for quick access to certain game features.

We’ve learned that there will be 3 factions. In which way this will affect the PvP action?

The decision to make three factions instead of two lends an additional action element to the game. It also is a main feature of many of the battleground events, and how they take place. For example, one of the battlegrounds in the game starts each faction group at its own section of a circular map, and contains rewards at the very center; players will have to run to the center, and battle to retrieve the prize. The end-result is an all-out massive-scale brawl. That’s just one example, though.

Factions are an essential feature that drives the entire PvP system, and even influences the social network of any given player. A player’s faction alliance determines who a player can add to his or her friends list and guild roster. A faction is very much like a family, and as such, each community will evolve to house players of certain mentalities. In addition, the faction houses are already governed by certain House creeds (House Levidis: Encompassing Gaze; House Kalgeris: Watchful Blade; House Vendramin: First Move) that are further explained on our website.

Talking about PvP, could you give us some more details about it? Will there be a world PvP or a battleground oriented one?

Once a player reaches a certain point in the main storyline, he or she will have to choose a faction in order to progress with the main story. Once a player chooses a faction, it is a permanent decision that affects all future gameplay for that character, and is the determining factor for choosing future allies and friends.

PvP is going to be a prevalent feature of the game. In the Asian version of The Lost Titans, hundreds of players battle each other at the same time, and the same thing is going to happen in the American release. There will be massive battles in designated battlegrounds, not to mention the entire world is mostly a PvP zone. However, in case someone is not as interested in the grand-scale battles, there are Safe Zones in every map for players who prefer to not participate in battles against other players; however, as those players venture out into the world, they will inevitably travel though regions that are PvP zones. That just adds to the thrill of the game, and encourages them to band with friends.

Various achievements and points are awarded to players upon successful player kills, and can be used to buy special items in the game through the game store. Player kills are also logged on a ranking list, and the top 10 players in each server will achieve various rewards for maintaining high scores. There are multiple leaderboards, dedicated to individuals within factions, within servers, and even guild rankings within servers, all of which reward players and shower them with points, money, items, and other various gifts.

Will the game have social features such as guilds? And if so, will the guild vs. guild feature be included?

Guilds will be an integral part of the game. They provide a long-term community of players with whom players can help organize groups for raids, instances, battlegrounds, and questing. They’re also essential for developing friendships and social circles. The primarily PvP environment will further strengthen ties among allies, who will learn to depend on each other to safely travel throughout the world without getting targetting by a member of an enemy faction.

In addition to the perks of being in a guild, there are battlegrounds dedicated to guilds that can reward all guild members handsomely for a battle well-fought. Guild Leaders and Deputy Leaders can help guide their guilds to great victories, and battle their way to getting their guilds to rank among the top 10 on the server, upon which their members will receive even more rewards.

Let’s talk about the level system: How many levels players will have to face? And how will levelling up work?

Currently, The Lost Titans allows players to cap at level 75, which is actually quite high. However, when we release future expansions to the game, we eventually plan to take it up into the 100s, which will also include new environments.

We are planning to release The Lost Titans worldwide in English-speaking countries and regions where players can play and understand the game in English, including, but not limited to the United States, Canada, Australia, UK, South America, Southeast Asia, etc. We are open to establishing business partnerships with other territories, as well.

Do you plan The Lost Titans to be a free-to-play game? Which currency will be available in the game and how will it affect the game dynamics?

Yes, The Lost Titans is a free-to-play game. Although it is possible (and quite common) to win Gold through various means within the game itself, players will also be able to buy Gold in order to enhance the look of their armor and weapons, and to buy special mounts, among various other customizable upgrades. Purchasing Gold may help a player in a certain small areas, but it will not affect the overall game dynamics.

Thank you for all your answers. Would you like to add something?

One thing to note about The Lost Titans is its amazing graphics. We spent a lot of time placing a lot of details into the game, from environmental effects including wind effects, falling leaves and rays of light, to visual effects of skills, and various other graphics and design. The result is a browser-based game with client-level graphics, which is also one of the key temple brands of ZQGame. It’s certainly something that all players should see, to experience the next generation of browser-based games. It’s an incredibly fun game to play, and the best part is that it’s free!